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My name is Danielle Munch. I am 19 years old and from Toledo, Ohio. I am a second year in secondary education for history. My interest in teaching started by teaching safety city and safety town and I am currently on my 5th year of teaching the program. This is a program for 5 to 6 years olds and they are able to learn about safety though activities and guest speakers. This experience has been great for me because I was able to be really hands on and get a feel for what teaching was like. Although, I did change my teaching level because I am interested in history. My other work experiences involve Coldstone Creamery and now I currently work at Charming Charlie, which is a store that has all different kinds of accessories. In my free time I love to do philanthropy. I am able to be much more involved through my sorority and I am able to work with great programs such as Prevent Child Abuse America, Girls Scouts of America and Confidence Coalition. I would like to think that I am experienced with technology but I know that there is still so many devices I have yet to use. I am most comfortable with computers and the different aspects that come along with them, such as powerpoint, word, blogs and internet just to name a few. I know that there is still so much out there for me to learn and am excited to get to work with them.


Favorite Educational Websites:
http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html
http://www.history.com/
http://www.pbs.org/teachers
http://www.besthistorysites.net/

Artifacts of your work in class:
Grade book:

Rubric:



1.Does technology make a difference in the learning process or could you teach just as well without it?
I think that technology does make a difference in the learning process. Students are able to connect and interact with what is being taught instead of just writing notes everyday. I believe that students today learn better with technology and feel as though teaching with technology benefits the students.
2. Are students today fundamentally different than students in the past?
I think that students are different from students in the past. Today technology is important to people, students use their cellphones and the internet much more than in the past. Students today learn differently from predecessors because of their knowledge and use of technology.

http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction

http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
Constructivism
1. students learn through experiencing things and reflecting on them.
2. Teachers give students something to research,experiment or give them real world problems.
3. Students are the center of learning.
4. Through the techniques of research, experimenting and real world problems, students come up with their own knowledge and then reflect.
5. Students are doing the learning through their own process and reflections.
I have experienced constructivism mostly in my history and science classes. I really enjoyed being able to research events in history rather than just reading the text books. Also in science being hands on really benefited my learning and understanding of the material.
Objectivism
1. Teacher gives information to students.
2. students are expected to learn and understand.
3. Teacher ask questions that students are supposed to know the answers to.
4. If students do not know the right answer then the teacher repeats the process.
My high school math class was like this. My teacher would supply us with the formulas then just expect us to know them and understand how to use them for the tests.
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEsGHVdVkMw&feature=related
I really liked this video because the guy compared constructivism and objectivism together in the same video. By doing this I believe I gained a better understanding because they were one right after another, instead of researching one then having to research the other. This video was also short and to the point. He gave all the information to what each one was by both saying and by showing examples.
Possible Solutions:
1. Negotiate with vendor with possible discounts
2.Gain parent and community support
3.Lobby local school board for additional resources
4.Pay to train one teacher on the technology and have them train the rest
Game Stations:
1.Station 9 Civilization Revolution
http://www.civilizationrevolution.com/iphone/
Virtual environments- where students use an avatar to interact in virtual worlds (simulations and experience exploring). In this game a student is able to pick what civilization they want to be and pick a person such as Abe Lincoln, Alexander the Great or Ghandi. The task is to explore the world as that person and to interact with other societies, such as claim peace or declare war. Players are able to advance the societies by creating buildings, improving technology and improving education.
This game reminded me alot of the game Age of the Empires. I enjoyed playing this game and think that students would be able to learn more about building a society, interacting with others and globalization. Students would be able to make their own decisions based on what they want to do with their society. I like this aspect because they are able to make their own decisions and make their society the way they want instead of how societies really were in history.
2. Station 6: Nintendo DS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_7c1VOMT4
For the Nintendo DS students were able to learn a language such as Japanese. The game allowed students to hear, speak and write the language. After learning a section of vocabulary they were then able to put what they learn to test. There were several games the students could play in order to practice what they just learned.Students could participate at different rates of learning by being able to redo a lesson if needed. I thought this was an interesting tool to use in learning another language instead of just listening to a teacher, students were able to practice by themselves and the game incorporated the three aspects the teacher tries to cover, speaking, reading and writing.
Website Evaluation:
I used the website http://www.dhmo.org/. Although the website was a .org, I feel like this website is fake. There is so many ads on the page and the information is very cluttered that I do not know where to start. Also between the information and ads I am not sure exactly what is meant to be there and what are ads. Another factor that helped me to conclude that the website was fake is that is that the copyright is by a person but not backed by a company or organization. There is also a note of, Note: content veracity not implied that helped me to determine the website to be faulty.


http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html


Reflection of Class Work:
I have learned a lot through the assignments in this class. Each assignment give me new or more insight to teaching. I have learned that there is more to teaching then just spilling out information or facts. My aha moment in this class was with all the different tools that were available and free for teachers! I was completely in shock that so much is out on the internet or even on itunes. I only thought of itunes as music or movies, not for teaching. Every piece of technology has the ability to be used in a classroom. It just depends on the teacher if they choose to take advantage of what they have or can use.

ISTE standards

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teacher
D. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
Through out this quarter this class concentrated mainly on group work and projects. Then individually students would have to reflect on the project. For example the lesson plan presentation. This assignment followed the standard perfectly. Dr. Angelone assigned us groups and gave us advice based on her knowledge and experience to help us do better on the assignment. The group lesson plan allowed for groups to learn what teachers really had to do to prepare, to create and to present lessons for students. Groups had to come up with creative lesson plans then put the lesson into play with our peers. The group presentation allowed for many good ideas to present lessons, which allowed for face to face engagement and expansion of student learning. The reflection after the presentation allowed for further learning of students. Reflecting on how the presentation went and what could have been done differently really makes students think about what they have learned and to understand what key concepts they may have missed. The presentation advanced my learning with lesson plan creating and presenting. I was able to learn different ways to present information and then gain feedback as to what not to do or what worked for the students. This assignment made me realize that lesson plans will always need to be fixed and over time I will gain more knowledge on what works versus what doesn’t.Reflecting will greatly help to determine the best of lesson plans compared to what not to do or to fix.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
B. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
This standard allows students to learn beyond the traditional paper, pencil and book concept. Individuals are able to deal with their own learning, participation and progress. A great example of this would be the E-portfolio assignment. Every assignment is different based on the individual, some of the students in this class have different content area, which allows them to concentrate on learning for that area instead of having to worry about a different subject. Students have to explore different websites to find lesson plans that fit their content area. The e-portfolio allows students to reflect on their individual learning and being able to detect their own progress through reflection of all the assignments that were given throughout the quarter.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
C. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.
The Collaborative Learning Network we used fits this standard. Students would communicate different lesson plans and ideas using an online website, diigo. The assignment was ongoing throughout the quarter that had students post one lesson plan a week. This allowed for new lesson plans and ideas to be circulated throughout our peers. This assignment was very effective because people could see lesson plans both in their field but also outside of their field and to see similarities between the different content groups. By seeing different lesson plans posted by the people within our content group we were able to see different views and relevant information and ideas to incorporate. The assignment incorporated a variety of digital age media and formats by having different types of tools that needed to be used in each lesson plan, such as games, websites, research or Microsoft programs.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
C.promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
The activity Internet safety helped me learn about the Acceptable Use Policy. The class split into 5 groups and were given different scenarios concerning the etiquette and responsibility of internet use with teachers and students. We were given AUP to help determine if each scenario was violating the internet use. We were able to hear scenarios and see if and why they were under violations and ways to deal with situations that could arise. The AUP is signed by both students and teachers saying they will not violate or abuse the use of the internet. Students are not to be on unauthorized websites as well as teachers. For example, teachers are not supposed to be purchasing items online, during the school day. Teachers must also monitor possible discussion interactions on web based website to make sure students are staying on topic and not attacking or bullying other students.

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
A participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
Through the collaborative learning network(diigo) I believe helped improved my learning. I never really gave much thought into lesson planning or how time consuming it could be. Diigo first scared me as to how much work goes into lesson planning, but then after realizing how many websites and tools are out their helped to calm me down. Lesson planning is a major part of teaching and I really liked how ideas were able to be shared through diigo. There were some lesson plans on their that I was exposed to that I would have never thought about. By having our class participate and share ideas of different lesson plans really improved my way of thinking about teaching and the planning that goes into the profession. This ongoing assignment has also showed me that there are communites of teachers out their that are posting their lesson plans and giving advice to others and really want to help improve the way teacher teach and students learn.


Final Course Overview:
I really had no idea what to think this class was going to be about, I do know that what I learned I was not expecting. I have learned so many ways to reach out to students besides the traditional and boring heres the text book and take notes. I have learned many different ways such as blogs, podcasts, use of technology and constructivism is the best way for students to be engaged and to learn. Reflecting is also a major aspect in student learning and can be used on podcasts and blogs. This course has really made me realize to have students take a lead on their learning and for me as a teacher to prepare them and guide them through their learning. This class was eye opening to me as showing me what kind of technology opportunities are out their to show the students. The one piece of technology I thought I was really good at was the smart board. When Jason came in to talk about smart boards and to show us all the capabilities they had I was amazed. I felt like a little kid and wanted to play on the smart board. That tells me one important thing about smart boards, to incorporate them into my classroom. The other main aspect I will take away from this course is blogging. Having students communicate and share ideas with each other is awesome! I have never used this tool of learning before and will use it in my future classroom. This classroom has shown me so many fun and exciting ways to teach students that I will continue to use such as cloud. Being able to save documents then pull them up on a different computer is awesome. No more having to worry about losing document or forgetting a lesson plan, instead they will be saved on cloud. I can say for sure this course was completely different (in a good way) from what I thought it was going to be.I am walking away from this year feeling more confident in becoming a teacher and having a learned a great deal of information that can be used for later years. In the beginning of the quarter I thought I knew quite a lot about technology and how to use it. I was completely wrong, all of the above examples are tools I have learned to use and will continue to use.


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